Mineirão stadium, established in 1965, officially named for Governor Magalhães Pinto, is the largest football stadium in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

On February 25, 1960, the government of the Union and the Federal University of Minas Gerais gave Minas Gerais land in the neighborhood of Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, for the construction of the stadium.

The Mineirão was planned by Eduardo Mendes Guimarães Júnior and Caspar Garreto, both architects. The structural project was undertaken by engineer Arthur Eugênio Jermann. The construction workmanship was directed by engineer Gil Cesar Moreira de Abreu. From 1963 to the date of its inauguration on September 5, 1965, approximately five thousand persons were involved in the construction.

The festivities marking the opening of the stadium included parachute jumpers, music, and an inaugural soccer match. The events were attended by 73,201 people. The inaugural match at Mineirão Stadium was played by the Minas Gerais state team and the Argentinian team, River Plate.

It is said that the Mineirão had held more than 130,000 people in 1997 in the match between Cruzeiro and Villa Nova in the final match of the state league. However, for safety reasons the capacity of Mineirão had been reduced for the majority of its 40 years of history. In 2004, by imposition of FIFA, the capacity of the stadium was reduced to less than 75,000 people.

Since the stadium's opening, three important teams of Belo Horizonte have hosted their matches in Mineirão: Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, Atlético Mineiro and América Mineiro (which also has a private stadium). Mineirao has also hosted matches of the Brazilian national team.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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